The present invention concerns an equipment for the management of hospital activities as laboratory tests, pharmacological treatment, dieting and instruments diagnostic that is operating in conditions of certainty against the mistaking of patients and/or of the products destined to it.
One of the greatest risks for patients staying in a hospital or other health care institute consists in the possibility that the data relative to the tests and to the dispensing of drugs are mistaken by error between one patient and the other or that they are not objectively interpreted. Therefore, a different disease that is consequently treated in different way can be diagnosed to a patient affected by a certain disease or, even in the presence of an exact diagnosis, drugs that are suitable for a different disease can be given to him/her.
This problem has been faced in its most general aspects by European patents n. 0491900 and n. 0516782, the first one being specifically addressed to blood tests or other biological samplings, the second being addressed to the dispensing of drugs, the latter term meaning also the dispensing of blood plasma.
Both patents provide for the use of a computer data support that is applied to the patient in such a way that it cannot be removed until the end of hospitalisation, in substance a wrist-band that is fastened to the wrist of the patient. The computer data which are read on the wrist-band with appropriate optical reader allow, in the case of collection and testing of biological samples, to then mark the container of the collected biological sample in a substantially permanent way with the same data, which therefore accompany the same container until the testing laboratory, thus avoiding the mistaking of samples between one patient and the other. In the case of dispensing of drugs the reading of the computer data on the wrist-band, in combination with the reading of additional computer data on a drug container or on the same drug, allows in turn to give the drug that was prescribed for that given patient with absolute certainty.
In European patent n. 0516782 there is also described in general terms the use of a tray cart provided with computer means for the reading, processing and confirm, that can be moved from the patient to the site where the drugs are being dispensed and vice-versa in order to assure the perfect correspondence between the prescribed therapy and the drug being taken.
In the same European patent a possible implementation of a machine is described that is capable to feed, to mark and to fill up with drugs and finally to close drug containers, once again by using computer data corresponding to the ones being read on the wrist-band of the patient.
Nothing is provided instead at the patient""s bed, but the presence of a wrist-band that is fastened to the wrist of the same patient.
Scope of the present invention is now to provide an equipment that, by using the teachings provided by the two aforesaid European patents, allows to manage in a complete way the hospital activities of medical tests and pharmacological treatment (extending such concept to dieting) while preventing errors due to the mistaking of patients.
According to the invention such scope is attained with an equipment comprising a computer data support that is fastened to every patient in a substantially permanent way, a bed unit associated with the bed of every patient, at least one cabinet unit associated with each ward and a computerised tray cart that is movable among said units, characterised in that:
a) said computerised tray cart comprises a computer provided with display and mouse control for the processing of computer data, a reader of computer data connected with said computer and movable near the bed of the patient for the reading of computer data and their transfer to said computer, a plurality of drawers with opening controlled by said computer for the housing of containers for biological samples to be collected and of drug containers to be dispensed, a printer controlled by said computer for the printing of labels with computer data corresponding to the ones being read by said reader which are destined to said biological samples containers, and sensors of the patient""s vital parameters communicating with said computer;
b) said reading unit comprises a display that is connected with a computer for the visualisation of data relative to the patient, sensors for the detection of data relative to the patient (for instance: presence);
c) said cabinet unit comprises a computer, a computer data reader connected with said computer, spaces and containing drawers with opening controlled by said computer;
d) said computerised tray cart, said bed unit and said cabinet unit are connected with each other by a computer network.
The equipment according to the invention, which is obviously integrable with specific devices and instruments that are considered as being more appropriate each time, allows a safe management of all hospital activities as medical tests and pharmacological treatment and dieting, while eliminating any possibility of error due to the mistaking of patient (including not correct relationing of objective data regarding the patient) from the origin. All data are in fact taken, transmitted, verified and compared via computer without the operator being able to influence the exactness or less of the operation.